Mississippi Online Sports Betting Bill Easily Survives House Vote

The demand for legal mobile sports betting in Mississippi appears to be at an all-time high, with the Mississippi House of Representatives voting 97-14 to move forward with the “Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act.” This legislation would allow residents of the Magnolia State to use top sports betting apps.

The goal of HB 774 is to broaden the scope of Mississippi sports betting by enabling remote registration for sports betting apps and allowing wagers to be placed from anywhere within the state.

Mississippi permits traditional sports betting at its 26 land-based casinos, with a few of them offering limited mobile wagering options on their premises. This on-site mobile platform has been available since 2018.

The Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act

HB 774, also known as the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, seeks to legalize mobile betting on horse racing and sports in the state.

The state’s casinos can team up with a single mobile sports betting operator each, offering extensive online betting options once they receive regulatory approval.

Users must be at least 21 years old to register for the state’s mobile sports betting platforms, with registration available statewide for convenient wagering from any location within the state, not limited to physical casino sites.

Under the Bill, providers in the Magnolia State would be subject to a tax rate of 12% on their gross revenues. The generated revenues would be used for the maintenance and repair of roads and bridges within the state.

Support for the proposal

The recent effort to expand the legal sports betting industry in Mississippi coincides with the upcoming Super Bowl and March Madness, which are expected to be major topics of conversation in the sports world.

The proponents’ case is strengthened by the fact that Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana all have thriving legal sports betting industries, and will be participating in the two major sporting events in the U.S. Georgia is also making progress towards launching its own mobile sports betting platform, possibly by the end of this year.

Casey Eure, the author of HB 774, noted that there is a strong appetite for illegal online sports betting in Mississippi. He stated that Mississippi ranks at the top for illegal online sports betting in the country, with the highest percentage of searches for illegal offshore accounts on Google.

Eure explained that his strategy involved advancing an already thriving industry in the state. “I am simply introducing a new product to our casino industry to ensure we remain competitive,” Eure stated confidently. “I believe this is the right move for us.”

In the end

The Mississippi Senate is set to be the next state body to consider an expansion of the legal sports betting platform. It remains uncertain how they will react to the proposal.

Casey Eure has been actively pitching the idea to Senators that legalizing a certain expansion could bring in between $25 million and $35 million in tax revenue in the first year. Mississippi is currently losing out on this revenue, which is already being generated illegally.

The deadline for Senate leaders to pass the proposal out of committee is April 2, indicating that legal sports wagering in Mississippi will continue to be a contentious topic in the state.